Pepperdine’s Aaron Clark Set for Spotlight as Waves Open WCC Play Against No. 7 Gonzaga
MALIBU, Calif. - When Gonzaga tips off its West Coast Conference schedule on Sunday against Pepperdine, the Zags will be plenty familiar with the names across the court - and not just because of the scouting reports. There’s a bit of a Wake Forest reunion baked into this one.
It’s not just that Gonzaga head coach Mark Few and his staff kept tabs on former Bulldogs Hunter Sallis and Efton Reid during their time with the Demon Deacons last season. In doing so, they also got early looks at three players who have since popped up on Gonzaga’s radar - not just as former ACC players, but as current or future opponents.
One of those players is Aaron Clark, now a redshirt freshman guard at Pepperdine. While Clark didn’t have the same impact at Wake Forest as Sallis or Reid, he was on Steve Forbes’ roster in 2023-24 and was viewed as a potential building block for the program.
That plan changed quickly. After appearing in just seven games and missing the rest of the season with an injury, Clark hit the transfer portal and found a new home in Malibu under first-year Waves head coach Ed Schilling.
Now healthy and finally getting his first real taste of college basketball, Clark is making up for lost time - and doing it in a big way.
Through 13 games, Clark leads Pepperdine in scoring at 14.5 points per game. He’s already notched two 25-point outings in his last three games, including a 70-62 win over Cal State Bakersfield and an 84-62 blowout of Rice. For a Pepperdine team that’s just 5-8 overall and has only four wins against Division I competition, Clark’s scoring punch has been one of the few consistent bright spots.
And when he gets rolling, he can be dangerous. Just ask Stephen F.
Austin. Earlier this season, Clark lit them up for a season-high 30 points, going 9-of-12 from the field, 5-of-6 from deep, and 7-of-8 at the line - a near-perfect offensive performance that showed exactly what kind of upside he brings when his shot is falling.
But consistency has been the challenge.
Clark’s three-point shooting has been hot and cold - more feast or famine than steady diet. He’s knocked down at least four triples in two games, but he’s also had some rough outings from beyond the arc: 1-of-7 against Vermont, 0-of-7 against Abilene Christian, and 0-of-6 against Northern Colorado. The talent is there, but the efficiency is still a work in progress.
That’s where Gonzaga comes in.
The Zags, ranked No. 7 nationally and sitting at 12-1, bring a defensive unit that’s more than capable of making life difficult for a young guard still finding his rhythm. If Gonzaga sticks with the same starting five they’ve used since their overtime battle with Kentucky, Clark will likely see plenty of either Steele Venters or Emmanuel Innocenti - both long, active defenders who can switch across multiple positions.
And it doesn’t get any easier once Gonzaga goes to the bench. The Zags have depth at the wing and guard spots, with Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller, and Jalen Warley all capable of locking in defensively and applying pressure on the perimeter.
For Clark, Sunday’s matchup represents more than just a conference opener - it’s a proving ground. He’s already shown he can score in bunches. Now, he’ll get a chance to do it against one of the top teams in the country, with Gonzaga’s defense locked in and the WCC spotlight shining bright.
If he can stay composed, find his spots, and hit his shots, Clark could force the Zags to make some real adjustments. If not, Gonzaga’s depth and discipline on defense could turn this into a long night for Pepperdine’s young leader.
Either way, we’ll learn a lot about Aaron Clark - and about how far he’s come since his days as a freshman reserve on Wake Forest’s bench.